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One crazy year in politics ends and another begins. This year will bring new battles for immigration, health care and more. I don’t think anything substantial will get done this year but one can always hope. By March, we will know some of the 2016 contenders and get a glimpse into their platform. The only area where I think significant things will happen will be in foreign policy. Keep an eye on Senators Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio as their votes this year will be an indicator on what they will run in 2016.

President Obama’s executive order on immigration has put the GOP in a tricky situation. While the Republicans are mad at the president for his executive order, they can’t do much to undo it. It also puts the GOP at risk of losing another presidential election unless they change their stance on immigration reform, which I don’t see happening. Senator Marco Rubio is especially in a bind because he is now in a position where he has to criticize President Obama’s executive order while praising key elements of it.

The Affordable Care Act will also be center stage again when The Supreme Court reviews another key part of the law. If the law survives another Supreme Court decision and a Democrat is elected president in 2016 The Affordable Care Act will likely remain law of the land for a long time. If more people are covered under the law, then it will be harder for Republicans to attack it during a presidential campaign. The Republican primary however will be a competition on who hates the Health Care law the most.

The Keystone XL pipeline is being debated right now, as it has been for several years. It has passed both the House and the Senate but won’t survive President Obama’s veto. It will likely be another issue debated in the next election. The biggest issues in the next election will probably be the economy and income inequality. Some GOP 2016 hopefuls are already talking about income inequality. Above all this year be on the lookout for different candidates announcing who will be running for president next year.